香港郊野公园森林群落结构和物种多样性

通过香港大榄郊野公园森林群落的样地调查,利用物种的丰富度、多样性指数和均匀度指数对群落的类型、结构和物种多样性进行了分析和研究。结果显示了7个主要的森林群落的物种多样性和群落结构的关系,森林群落的物种多样性顺序为:土沉香群落>台湾相思群落>红胶木群落>木荷群落>毛叶桉群落>湿地松+鸭脚木群落>柠檬桉群落。森林群落的乔、灌、草3个层次的丰富度和多样性指数普遍以灌木层最高,均匀度指数则以乔木层最高。而影响物种多样性的因素主要为造林技术和频繁的山火。       

花山喀斯特风景林群落结构与林内景观质量的关系

全面和正确地认识群落结构特征与景观美学质量的关系,对揭示森林景观美学质量的形成机制和进行景观质量提升具有重要意义。采用美景度评价法(Scenic Beauty Estimation,SBE)和回归分析,从林分水平结构、垂直结构和物种组成等群落结构特征层面,分析群落结构特征与景观质量的关系。结果表明:群落结构要素对美景度贡献大小顺序依次为Pielou均匀度指数乔木层密度Shannon-Wiener多样性指数林层数乔木层平均高度;Pielou均匀度指数和乔木层密度与美景度呈负相关关系,Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、林层数和乔木层平均高度与美景度呈正相关关系;物种丰富、乔木层密度较小、林层数多、乔木层平均高度较大的林分具有较高的美景度值。根据群落结构和林内景观质量关系得出群落结构优化策略,首先尽可能满足物种多样性和生态系统稳定性的需求,在此前提下从水平和垂直结构等空间配置上,综合运用林分抚育、林下层管理和美学规划等措施,构建出符合生态要求和具有较高美学价值的森林景观。     

三峡库区森林生态系统物种多样性定量分析

对三峡库区生物多样性进行定量描述既是现状评价的基础,也是影响预测的基础,更是当前森林经营者将生物多样性纳入规划和决策过程中急需解决的问题。本文根据三峡库区监测样地生物多样性物种调查数据,结合资源调查小班因子与地形环境等因子,分别构建基于区域尺度的三峡库区物种丰度指数、物种多样性指数以及均匀度指数等物种多样性定量指标体系及评价模型,直观地反映三峡库区宏观尺度上的物种的丰度、变化程度或均匀度,揭示森林生态系统的组成与结构的基本差异,较为客观地反映了群落的真实情况,从而为森林生态系统的健康管理提供了量化依据。     

喀斯特峡谷植被演替过程中的物种组成及多样性

采用空间代替时间的方式对花江喀斯特峡谷不同演替阶段的群落物种组成和多样性进行了研究.结果表明:裸地阶段是植被恢复的起始阶段,植物物种丰富度和物种多样性均为最低.随着演替的正向进行,物种多样性增加,群落结构逐渐复杂并在森林群落阶段形成较为稳定的结构.草本植物在草本群落阶段物种丰富度和生物多样性达到最高,随即开始下降.灌木的物种丰富度和多样性在灌木阶段达到最大并在森林阶段保持稳定.乔木的物种丰富度和物种多样性均随着演替的进行逐渐增加.退化喀斯特不同恢复阶段的植被群落具有较为明显的优势种,通常为2～3种.     

万佛山丹霞地貌区常绿阔叶林群落物种多样性分析

为探讨丹霞地貌区常绿阔叶林群落物种多样性,通过对物种丰富度指数、物种相对多度模型、物种多样性指数和物种均匀度指数的测度,对区域内16个常绿阔叶林群落进行分析,并与中亚热带典型地区森林群落物种多样性比较。结果表明,万佛山常绿阔叶林群落具有较高的物种丰富度,物种多样性在层次中的变化趋势为灌层〉乔层〉草层;万佛山常绿阔叶林生物多样性在中亚热带常绿阔叶林生态系统中具有普遍的意义。     

湖南低丘区不同植被类型组成、结构及碳贮量评价研究

以湖南省低山丘陵区典型人工植被、天然次生林、荒草地群落为研究对象,分析了不同类型生态系统地上部分的组成、结构,并从生态系统尺度上,估算了不同植被覆盖类型的碳贮量。结果表明：天然次生林物种多样性恢复最快、垂直结构复杂、系统的碳贮能力最强,人工林群落的结构相对比较简单、物种多样性相对较低、碳贮能力一般,而荒草地群落的结构最简单、物种多样性最低、碳贮能力也最差。研究结果对于评价湖南省森林生态系统的生态服务功能有的参考价值。     

永泰青云山风景区森林群落物种多样性研究

应用shannon.simpson多样性指数、均匀度、丰富度指数等指标分析青云山风景区国家生态公益林物种多样性。结果表明:青云山风景区群落物种多样性较高,种类组成较复杂;物种多样性虽然与群落结构、生境有关系,但人为干扰对物种多样性影响更大。     

不同时空尺度下武夷山甜槠林物种多样性与生物量的动态关系

研究武夷山中亚热带甜槠常绿阔叶林9600和400m2样地物种多样性和生物量的动态关系。结果表明:随着演替进展,9600m2样地生物量增加,物种丰富度在群落总体、乔木层和下木层均表现为下降趋势,个体数量在群落总体表现为下降趋势,在乔木层表现为先增加后下降的趋势,在下木层表现为先下降后增加的趋势,Shannon-Wiener指数在群落总体和乔木层均表现为下降趋势,在下木层表现为先下降后增加的趋势,均匀度指数在群落总体、乔木层和下木层均表现为先下降后增加的趋势;400m2样地物种多样性各指标在不同层次不同时间进程中表现出明显的异质性,2001—2004年,随着活立木生物量的增加,下木层Shannon-Wiener指数和物种丰富度明显下降,2004—2007年,乔木层Shannon-Wiener指数和物种丰富度明显下降,物种多样性各指标与活立木生物量间均不存在显著相关性(P0.05)。物种多样性对生态系统功能的影响在不同的时空尺度中差异明显。     

天然林林窗与自然更新研究进展

在森林的天然更新过程中,林窗扮演着重要角色。林窗对群落组成、功能结构、物质循环、能量流动和生物多样性维持起着重要作用,是群落演替的主要驱动力。本文综述了天然林林窗更新与种子萌发、物种多样性、生物入侵等热点。重点对自然更新与生境各要素系统性联系、大尺度的森林干扰、森林生态系统多样性与社会服务功能、生物入侵的响应机理、林窗植物的萌生更新、层间植物对林窗影响等进行深入探讨和展望,以期为天然林自然更新和森林可持续经营提供参考。     

牛背梁自然保护区植物群落和针叶树小蠹虫群落物种多样性研究

对牛背梁自然保护区的山麓农田-侧柏群落(群落Ⅰ),油松-华山松-锐齿栎群落(群落Ⅱ),油松-华山松-栓皮栎群落(群落Ⅲ),油松-华山松-辽东栎群落(群落Ⅳ),巴山冷杉-落叶松群落(群落Ⅴ),红桦-牛皮桦-巴山冷杉群落(群落Ⅵ)6种类型群落的高等植物及其针叶树小蠹虫的多样性等进行研究.结果表明:在山麓灌丛群落至针阔混交林群落之间,物种多样性指数、群落均匀度指数和物种丰富度呈递增趋势;在中山针阔混交林群落与巴山冷杉和落叶松群落、红桦-牛皮桦-巴山冷杉群落之间,物种多样性指数、群落均匀度指数和物种丰富度呈下降趋势.从总体来看,森林植被的多样性程度高于灌丛和草甸,阔叶林则高于针叶林.群落优势度指数的变化规律则与之相反.不同森林群落类型中针叶树小蠹虫的多样性、均匀度和优势度研究结果表明:针叶树小蠹虫群落物种多样性指数和均匀度由高到低的排列顺序依次为:群落Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ、Ⅴ、Ⅵ、Ⅰ;针叶树小蠹虫群落优势度的变化趋势与之相反.不同类型的森林植物群落中,针叶树小蠹虫群落结构及多样性存在明显差异.生态环境复杂,植被丰富的中山针阔混交林群落中,针叶树小蠹虫多样性和均匀度指数均较大,但优势度指数低,小蠹虫大发生的几率较小.加强管理,促进森林生态系统的多样性和稳定性,对提高植物群落自身调控害虫种群数量具有重要意义.     

Large-scale forest inventories of the United States and China reveal positive effects of biodiversity on productivity

Background:With the loss of species worldwide due to anthropogenic factors,especially in forested ecosystems,it has become more urgent than ever to understand the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationship(BEFR).BEFR research in forested ecosystems is very limited and thus studies that incorporate greater geographic coverage and structural complexity are needed.Methods:We compiled ground-measured data from approx.one half mil ion forest inventory sample plots across the contiguous United States,Alaska,and northeastern China to map tree species richness,forest stocking,and productivity at a continental scale.Based on these data,we investigated the relationship between forest productivity and tree species diversity,using a multiple regression analysis and a non-parametric approach to account for spatial autocorrelation.Results:In general,forests in the eastern United States consisted of more tree species than any other regions in the country.The highest forest stocking values over the entire study area were concentrated in the western United States and Central Appalachia.Overall,96.4 % of sample plots(477,281)showed a significant positive effect of species richness on site productivity,and only 3.6 %(17,349)had an insignificant or negative effect.Conclusions:The large number of ground-measured plots,as well as the magnitude of geographic scale,rendered overwhelming evidence in support of a positive BEFR.This empirical evidence provides insights to forest management and biological conservation across different types of forested ecosystems.Forest timber productivity may be impaired by the loss of species in forests,and biological conservation,due to its potential benefits on maintaining species richness and productivity,can have profound impacts on the functioning and services of forested ecosystems.     

Relationships between avian richness and landscape structure at multiple scales using multiple landscapes

Little is known about factors that structure biodiversity on landscape scales, yet current land management protocols, such as forest certification programs, place an increasing emphasis on managing for sustainable biodiversity at landscape scales. We used a replicated landscape study to evaluate relationships between forest structure and avian diversity at both stand and landscape-levels. We used data on bird communities collected under comparable sampling protocols on four managed forests located across the Southeastern US to develop logistic regression models describing relationships between habitat factors and the distribution of overall richness and richness of selected guilds. Landscape models generated for eight of nine guilds showed a strong relationship between richness and both availability and configuration of landscape features. Diversity of topographic features and heterogeneity of forest structure were primary determinants of avian species richness. Forest heterogeneity, in both age and forest type, were strongly and positively associated with overall avian richness and richness for most guilds. Road density was associated positively but weakly with avian richness. Landscape variables dominated all models generated, but no consistent patterns in metrics or scale were evident. Model fit was strong for neotropical migrants and relatively weak for short-distance migrants and resident species. Our models provide a tool that will allow managers to evaluate and demonstrate quantitatively how management practices affect avian diversity on landscapes.     

Diversity and production of Ethiopian dry woodlands explained by climate- and soil-stress gradients

Dry woodlands cover about 14% of the total African land surface and represent about 25% of the natural vegetation. They are characterized by a seasonal climate, with a dry season of 4-7 months. Large parts of these ecosystems are degrading due to grazing, fire or exploitation by people. We studied species richness and productivity patterns of dry woodlands in Ethiopia. For such ecosystems, classic productivity and diversity hypotheses predict that species richness and productivity increase as the wet season length increases, and decrease when soil conditions create water stress. We inventoried and measured trees in 18 2-ha plots distributed in two sites, one higher altitude site with a shorter wet season than the lower altitude site. We found that the stand volume per hectare was lower in the site with a shorter wet season. Across all 18 plots we observed that stand volume decreased with soil water stress (estimated from texture and depth). This was in line with the prediction. The species richness was lower in the short-wet-season woodlands, but was unaffected by variation in soil conditions. This suggests that climate driven constraints (wet season length) set the limits to species richness, and not soil conditions. As far as we know, this study is one of the first studies that evaluated these productivity and diversity hypotheses for dry African woodlands.     

Plant and carabid beetle species diversity in relation to forest type and structural heterogeneity

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of forest structure (mainly resulting from human uses) and forest type (the identity of the dominant tree species) on biodiversity. We determined the diversity of two taxonomical groups: the understory vegetation and the edaphic carabid beetle fauna. We selected eight types of forest ecosystems (five replicates or stands per forest type): pine (Pinus sylvestris) plantations of three age classes (10, 40 and 80 years since reforestation), an old-growth relict natural pine forest, and four types of oak (Quercus pyrenaica) stands: mature forests with livestock grazing and firewood extraction, mature forests where uses have been abandoned, “dehesa” ecosystems and shrubby oak ecosystems. The results obtained by a global PCA analysis indicated that both tree size and dominant species influenced the ordination of the 40 forest stands. In general, carabids were more sensitive to changes in forest heterogeneity and responded more clearly to the analysed structural variables than the understory vegetation, although the species richness of both groups was significantly correlated and higher in case of oak forests. Pine forest ecosystems were characterised by the lowest species richness for both taxonomical groups, the lowest plant diversity and by the lowest coefficients of variation and, consequently, low structural heterogeneity. As a result, it was very difficult to discriminate the effects of the spatial heterogeneity and the dominant tree species on biodiversity.     

森林土壤养分空间异质性研究进展

森林土壤养分的空间异质性直接关系着林地生产力、生态恢复的方向与途径,是植物群落空间格局形成的重要影响因素,对生态系统的演替有重要作用,因此近年来有关土壤养分空间异质性的研究成为国内外研究的热点。文中就海拔高度、土层深度、坡向、植被类型等环境因素对森林土壤养分空间异质性的影响进行了综述,指出目前该研究领域存在的主要问题是结合多种环境因子对土壤进行季节动态变化的研究比较缺乏,基于林分或更大尺度下对森林生态系统土壤空间异质性的形成机制、土壤空间变异规律同人为干扰、物种空间分布格局等关系的研究应该得到更多重视,并提出今后研究的方向。     

Canopy vs. understory: Does tree diversity affect bee and wasp communities and their natural enemies across forest strata?

Bees and wasps provide important ecosystem services such as pollination and biocontrol in crop-dominated landscapes, but surprisingly little information is available on hymenopteran communities in temperate forest ecosystems. Species richness and abundance of bees and wasps can be hypothesised to increase with plant diversity, structural complexity, and availability of food and nesting resources. By experimentally exposing standardised nesting sites, we examined abundance and species richness of cavity-nesting bees (pollinators), wasps (predators) and their associated parasitoids across a tree diversity gradient in a temperate deciduous forest habitat. In addition, spatial distribution of individuals and species across forest strata (canopy vs. understory) was tested. Abundance and species richness was high for predatory wasps, but generally low for pollinators. Species-rich forest stands supported increased abundance, but not species richness, of pollinators and predatory wasps, and also increased abundance and species richness of natural enemies. In addition, the forests showed a distinct spatial stratification in that abundance of bees, wasps and parasitoids as well as parasitism rates were higher in the canopy than understory. We conclude that particularly the canopy in temperate forest stands can serve as an important habitat for predatory wasp species and natural enemies, but not bee pollinators. Enhanced tree diversity was related to increased hymenopteran abundance, which is likely to be linked to an increase in nesting and food resources in mixed forest stands.     

不同恢复时期红松阔叶林群落结构与多样性特征

以长白山不同恢复时期红松阔叶林群落为研究对象,采用空间序列代替时间序列的方法,探讨了不同恢复时期(恢复20年、30年、70年和原始林)红松阔叶林群落的结构与多样性特征.结果表明:恢复70年的群落中乔木科、属、种特征与原始林相同,而恢复20年和30年的群落则与原始林存在显著差异,物种多度分布曲线也显示了相同的特征.恢复70年的群落与原始林中的物种丰富度及多度随径级和高度级的分布形式相同,但恢复20年和30年的群落则与原始林不同,并且缺少大径级和较高的树木.恢复30年的群落中乔木和灌木的物种丰富度最高,而恢复70年的群落则与原始林无显著差异,草本物种丰富度在原始林中最高.乔木Shannon-Wiener多样性指数也表现出与物种丰富度相同的大小关系,而灌木在4个不同恢复时期群落中无显著差异,草本则是恢复30年和原始林较高.恢复70年的群落与原始林相似性最高,而恢复20年的群落与原始林相似性最低.从群落的结构与多样性特征来看,恢复70年的群落结构与多样性特征已经接近原始林群落水平.     

Abundance and diversity of soil invertebrates in annual crops, agroforestry and forest ecosystems in the Nilgiri biosphere reserve of Western Ghats, India

Biologically mediated soil processes rely on soil biota to provide vital ecosystem services in natural and managed ecosystems. However, land use changes continue to impact on assemblages of soil biota and the ecosystem services they provide. The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of land use intensification on the distribution and abundance of soil invertebrate communities in the Nilgiri, a human-dominated biosphere reserve of international importance. Soil invertebrates were sampled in 15 land use practices ranging from simple and intensively managed annual crop fields and monoculture tree plantations through less intensively managed agroforestry and pristine forest ecosystems. The lowest taxonomic richness was found in annual crops and coconut monoculture plantations, while the highest was in moist-deciduous and semi-evergreen forests. With 21 ant species, agroforestry systems had the highest diversity of ants followed by forest ecosystems (12 species). Earthworms and millipedes were significantly more abundant in agroforestry systems, plantations and forest ecosystems than in annual crop fields. Ants, termites, beetles, centipedes, crickets and spiders were more abundant in forest ecosystems than in other ecosystems. It is concluded that annual cropping systems have lower diversity and abundance of soil invertebrates than agroforestry and natural forest ecosystems. These results and the literature from other regions highlight the potential role that agroforestry practices can play in biodiversity conservation in an era of ever-increasing land use intensification and habitat loss.     

Covariation between tree size and shade tolerance modulates mixed-forest productivity

Key message

In tree communities, tree size inequality reduces productivity and interacts with tree shade tolerance to modulate stand productivity, with a higher productivity in stands where shade-intolerant species dominate shade-tolerant species in size.

Context

Positive diversity–productivity relationships have been reported in different plant communities, including tree communities. These effects may be strongly related to both structural diversity and functional diversity, but also to their interactions if there is a non-random distribution of species functional characteristics among canopy layers.

Aims

We explore the relative effects on forest productivity of tree species diversity, tree size inequality, and species shade tolerance diversity, as well as the effect of the distribution of tree shade tolerance in the canopy.

Methods

We used 11,054 mixed-species forest plots from the French Forest Inventory (IGN) distributed throughout France (2006–2011). We analyzed the effects of species richness, shade tolerance diversity, and height inequality on forest plot productivity, represented by basal area annual increment over a period of 5 years, while controlling for first-order structure characteristics (basal area and quadratic mean diameter) and environmental factors (soil water budget and sum of growing degree days). Using the covariance between tree height and shade tolerance in mixed species canopies, we also explored the effect of the distribution of species’ shade tolerance among canopy layers.

Results

The results showed a positive effect of species richness (effect size, 0.02) and a negative effect of height inequality (??0.05) on mixed-forest productivity. We also showed that a negative covariance between shade tolerance and height (e.g., higher proportion of shade-tolerant species in lower height classes) increased productivity (0.01). Shade tolerance diversity did not affect productivity.

Conclusion

In tree communities, as shown previously in monospecific forest stands, tree size inequality reduces productivity. This effect is modulated by the distribution of shade tolerance among canopy layers. Previous studies on species diversity effect have generally overlooked the importance of the size structure and the size hierarchy of functional characteristics. These effects are, however, crucial and deserve to be explored in greater detail.

     

Effects of Different Management Practices on Stand Composition and Species Diversity in Subtropical Forests in Nepal: Implications of Community Participation in Biodiversity Conservation

In this article, we compared the structure, composition, and diversity of trees, shrubs and saplings, seedlings and herbaceous species of community- and government-managed forests in the lowlands of eastern Nepal. Results suggest that among the trees, the community forest was dominated by a single species, Shorea robusta. However, Shorea robusta and Terminalia myriocarpa were codominant in the government forest. Tree density and basal area were higher in the government forest, but shrub/sapling density and basal area were higher in the community forest, suggesting a positive effect of community management on tree regeneration. Overstory species assemblages showed an obvious compositional difference between the forests, but understory species assemblages were less obvious. Plot-level tree and shrub/sapling species richness was higher in the government forest than the community forest. However, seedling-herbaceous species richness was higher in the community forest. The dominance of Shorea robusta trees in the community forest suggests that people involved in managing forests may be more interested in a limited number of economically valuable species while removing less important trees. Such preferential management practices may increase resource heterogeneity within a forest and maintain species diversity in the understory. Thus, community participation in forest management should be encouraged, with guided management techniques and exercises, to achieve maximum forest recovery, provide sustainable ecosystem services, and maintain forest diversity.